Daily Grist / Weekly Digest 1-18-06

The Trend Is Near
Meet and greet turns green in NYC

Chances are you didn't spend your Wednesday night at a swanky bar in Manhattan, rubbing elbows with a fashion model in a bustier. (But if you did, omigod, we totally did too!) And chances are you're thinking, hey, what does this have to do with the environment? Well, a new green scene was on display this week at the purported first-ever gathering of "New York's eco-conscious elite," positively oozing style, sustainability, socializing ... and satin bustiers. Emily Gertz sends a dispatch from the high life.

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new in Dispatches: The Trend Is Near


Re-Spent, Ye Sinners
Bush admin plans to fund new dawn for nuclear power

Like an atomic Dr. Frankenstein determined to reanimate the corpse of the civilian nuclear-power industry, the Bush administration intends to allot $250 million in fiscal year 2007 to researching new ways to reprocess spent nuclear fuel -- technology largely abandoned in the 1970s as too dangerous. The funding is seen as a down payment on billions in future federal spending for nuclear power, with the nuclear industry in position to reap millions of dollars in profits as a result. The fuel-reprocessing scheme is part of a larger Bush plan -- thus far cheerily termed the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership -- that would allow the industry to sell smallish reactors and fuel to developing nations as long as they send their spent fuel back to the U.S. for reprocessing. The administration quietly sent two senior officials to Japan, Russia, and other countries last week to sell the initiative, and Bush may mention it in next week's State of the Union address.

straight to the source: The Wall Street Journal, John J. Fialka, 26 Jan 2006

straight to the source: The Washington Post, Peter Baker and Dafna Linzer, 26 Jan 2006



Kernel Ganders
Ethanol decent on efficiency but not on greenhouse gases, study finds

The heated debate over biofuels took another sharp turn this week: New research in the journal Science claims that replacing fossil fuels with corn-based ethanol is energy-efficient (contrary to some previous studies), but doesn't do much to cut greenhouse-gas pollution. Researchers from UC-Berkeley determined that ethanol results in a net energy gain of about 20 percent, but that the pollution generated in processing the corn offsets most of ethanol's gains in greenhouse-gas emissions. Cornell University scientist David Pimentel -- author of several studies questioning ethanol's energy efficiency -- disagrees with the findings, saying they failed to factor in farm machinery and overestimated the value of corn byproducts. But all agree that the future of ethanol is not corn, but higher-cellulose plants like switchgrass and willow trees -- news the powerful agribusiness and corn lobbies will no doubt try to play down.

straight to the source: Nature.com News, Mark Peplow, 26 Jan 2006

straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Elizabeth Douglass, 27 Jan 2006

straight to the source: National Public Radio, Christopher Joyce, 26 Jan 2006

see also, in Gristmill: Biofuels again


I Get the Nic Out of You
California deems secondhand smoke a toxic air pollutant

Californians may soon breathe a little easier than the rest of us, now that the state has become the first in the nation to classify secondhand tobacco smoke as a toxic air pollutant. In a 6-0 vote on Thursday, the state Air Resources Board put secondhand smoke in the same category as diesel exhaust and arsenic, citing a report published last September that found a sharply higher risk of breast cancer in young women passively exposed to the fumes, as well as linking it to other cancers, asthma, heart disease, and health problems in children. Oh, the humanity. The immediate effect of the board's vote will be an investigation into the places where Californians most often encounter secondhand haze, and how to reduce them. Highly contentious public hearings on new rules and legislation are likely to follow.

straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Jane Kay, 27 Jan 2006

straight to the source: The Boston Globe, Associated Press, Don Thompson, 27 Jan 2006

straight to the source: BBC News, 27 Jan 2006



Mass Backward
Mass. lawmakers introducing bill to push state toward climate pact

Last month, Massachusetts governor (and 2008 GOP presidential hopeful) Mitt Romney abruptly pulled his state out of the Northeast's landmark seven-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative -- but now a group of state lawmakers is poised to introduce legislation that would effectively put Massachusetts in compliance with that ambitious effort. Muckraker susses out the story.

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new in Muckraker: Mass Backward

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Dropping Acid
EPA asks companies to phase out toxic chemical PFOA

The U.S. EPA, having recently discovered that P stands for "protection," has asked DuPont and seven other chemical companies to phase out use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon cookware, stain-repellant fabrics, microwave popcorn bags, and other scarily ubiquitous household goods. If the eight companies and their overseas affiliates comply fully, says the EPA, PFOA use would decrease 95 percent by 2010, and vanish by 2015. Major PFOA maker DuPont immediately agreed to stop all emissions of the chemical from its manufacturing facilities over the next decade, noting it has already made big strides in cutting its use, but the company hasn't committed to totally eliminating use of PFOA. Health advocates are hailing the agency's move to rein in the bioaccumulative chemical, which is turning up in people and animals worldwide and has been linked to cancer and other health problems.

straight to the source: Chicago Tribune, Michael Hawthorne, 26 Jan 2006

straight to the source: The New York Times, Michael Janofsky, 26 Jan 2006

straight to the source: Reuters, Timothy Gardner, 25 Jan 2006

see also, in Grist: DuPont to pay $16.5 million for hiding chemical's risks


Solution Finds New Problem
Republicans in Congress reanimate efforts to drill in Arctic Refuge

Iran -- the world's fourth-largest oil producer -- has threatened to cut oil exports if other nations impose economic sanctions to punish it for restarting its nuclear-power program. Some analysts say oil prices could spike to $100 a barrel if Iran stopped exports entirely. In response to this geopolitical dilemma, a handful of congressional Republicans have redoubled their efforts to ... drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A bewildered nation can only respond: What the $%@! is wrong with these people? On Wednesday, Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, evoked the threat of an Iran-sparked oil shock when threatening to attach an Arctic-drilling measure to a new budget bill. You will recall from the last 1,583 debates over this issue that even if drilling in the refuge started today, seven years would pass before a single drop of oil was produced. So WTF?

straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Zachary Coile, 26 Jan 2006

straight to the source: The Guardian, Robert Tait, 16 Jan 2006


Take a Toxic Load Off Annie
Environmental factors may cause many breast cancers, report says

Up to half of all new breast cancers may be caused by environmental factors -- including exposure to everyday chemicals -- rather than heredity or lifestyle, a new report says. Released this week by the Breast Cancer Fund and Breast Cancer Action, "State of the Evidence" analyzes the findings of more than 350 ecological, epidemiologic, and experimental studies of breast cancer, with an eye to determining why an American woman's risk for breast cancer has nearly tripled in the past 40 years. The groups' analysis found persuasive scientific evidence that implicates some of the 100,000 synthetic chemicals in use today, including bovine growth hormone, dioxin, and phthalates. Little is known about how these substances may affect women when they're combined.

straight to the source: NorthJersey.com, Bob Ivry, 25 Jan 2006

straight to the source: The Oakland Tribune, Douglas Fischer, 24 Jan 2006

straight to the source: CBS5.com, 24 Jan 2006

straight to the report: State of the Evidence 2006


Two Prongs Make a Right
New coalition lobbies Big Auto to build plug-in hybrid cars

Plug-In Partners is not, as the name might indicate, a swingers' club. Rather, it's a diverse national campaign -- encompassing cities, electric utilities, national-security hawks, and others -- pushing for plug-in hybrids: gas-electric vehicles with batteries that can be recharged via a regular wall socket. Once powered up (ideally at night, when electric rates tend to be lower) such vehicles could go 20 to 35 miles or more on electricity alone and achieve fuel efficiency of 80 to 100 miles per gallon. The coalition says plug-in hybrids could substantially reduce demand for oil and curb air pollution. Most automakers say plug-in hybrids would cost more than consumers want to spend, so the campaign has vowed to drum up demand. Member city Austin, Texas, led the way on Tuesday by vowing to buy 600 of the next-gen green vehicles as soon as they come to market.

straight to the source: Star Tribune, Greg Gordon, 25 Jan 2006

straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Nick Timiraos, 25 Jan 2006

straight to the source: The Wall Street Journal, John J. Fialka, 25 Jan 2006 (access ain't free)



Al's Well That Pens Well
Al Gore to publish new book on global warming

The self-proclaimed "former next president of the United States" -- currently at the Sundance Film Festival (and, may we point out, looking quite natty) to promote his new documentary about global warming, An Inconvenient Truth -- has announced that he'll soon be coming out with a new book on the same subject, with the same name. The book, to be published by Rodale (of South Beach Diet, uh, fame), will serve as a sequel of sorts to Al Gore's controversial 1992 best-seller Earth in the Balance. It will cover not only the overwhelming evidence that global warming is accelerating, but Gore's personal story of how the issue came to occupy a central place in his life. It will also serve as the kickoff for his 2008 run for the presidency. No, no, we totally made that up!

straight to the source: The Morning Call, Dan Shope, 25 Jan 2006

straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Tina Daunt, 18 Jan 2006

see also, in Gristmill: Al at Sundance



Tadpole Position
Real-world combos of pesticides highly lethal to frogs, study shows

Frogs exposed to a pesticide mix similar to what's found on the average farm die in greater numbers than those dosed with just one pesticide, a new study shows. In new research in the online edition of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, scientists at UC-Berkeley exposed tadpoles to individual pesticides, and found that about 4 percent kicked it before they matured into frogs. But when the tadpoles were exposed to a mix of atrazine and eight other pesticides -- a combination that mimicked conditions on a real-world Nebraska cornfield -- the mortality rate rose to 35 percent. The chemicals suppressed their immune systems, making them vulnerable to infections and illnesses, and increased their transition time from tadpole to frog, lowering their survival chances. The researchers conclude that pesticides are likely playing a major role in the massive global decline of amphibian species. Frogs to humanity: Get us organic farming -- stat!

straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Marla Cone, 25 Jan 2006



The Colbert Report
A recyclable museum shows off photos of charismatic megafauna

Photo: Gregory Colbert. A moveable, recyclable museum made of old shipping containers and brown paper beams recently touched down on a pier in Santa Monica, Calif., where it's serving as a backdrop for the "Ashes and Snow" exhibit of photographs by Gregory Colbert. This Canadian artist -- whose large black-and-white images feature elephants, cheetahs, and whales interacting with humans -- aims to inspire viewers to a higher connection with nature. Writer Michael J. Kavanagh perused the exhibit and shares his assessment.

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new in Arts and Minds: The Colbert Report


But It's Still Friggin' Raining in Seattle
2005 is hottest year on record, and 2006 weather is wacked

We know you've been waiting with bated breath to hear the outcome of the competition between 1998 and 2005 for hottest year on record, and NASA's results are in: 2005 wins! 1998 had El Nino, but 2005 had a remarkably warm Arctic. Congratulations, 2005, on your Highest Annual Global Average Surface Temperature Award! The top five hottest years on record have all occurred in the last decade, but that's probably just a coincidence. In related news, Edmonton, Alberta -- that's in Canada -- is forecasted to reach a balmy 50 degrees today, breaking a 72-year-old record. What if their igloos melt? Meanwhile, over in Europe, a vicious cold wave continues to cause penguins at zoos to be moved indoors, elephants to be fed vodka, and, oh yeah, people to die. Perhaps Europeans would do well to move to the Arctic.

straight to the source: Reuters, Deborah Zabarenko, 24 Jan 2006

straight to the source: Edmonton Journal, Tim Lai, 25 Jan 2006

straight to the source: Globe and Mail, Associated Press, William J. Kole, 24 Jan 2006

straight to the source: The Independent, Andrew Osborn, 19 Jan 2006



The Royalty Wee
Taxpayers have been getting screwed on oil and gas royalties

A three-month New York Times investigation has uncovered a complex tale of oil and gas royalties, price discrepancies, accounting chicanery, and lax enforcement. But at its heart, it's the same old story: The Bush administration is essentially helping energy companies screw taxpayers. The American people own oil and gas reserves on public land; energy companies pay royalties to extract and sell them. Oil and gas prices have been rising sharply for years, but the royalties haven't -- if they had, taxpayers would have received an additional $700 million in natural-gas payments in fiscal year 2005 alone. A hubbub over oil-royalty underpayment around the turn of the century resulted in a wave of legal settlements and regulatory reform. Only a couple of years later, though, the Bush administration loosened the rules around gas royalties and booted a couple of the toughest enforcers. The results were predictable. After the NYT published its story yesterday, lawmakers -- shocked, shocked to find energy companies were gouging the public -- started demanding investigations. Stay tuned.

straight to the source: The New York Times, Edmund L. Andrews, 23 Jan 2006

straight to the source: The New York Times, Edmund L. Andrews, 24 Jan 2006



Nice Work
A look at green job prospects for 2006

Hooray for green jobs! Can't face another year chained to the same old desk or stuck in the same old cube? Itching to start a new career in an environmental field? Fortunately for you, Kevin Doyle of the Environmental Careers Organization knows a thing or two about job searching. He assesses the upcoming year's eco-jobs market and dispenses advice on how to remake your living.

new in Gristmill: Remake a Living: Green job prospects for 2006


Kid Tested, Mother Appalled
Bush admin to accept pesticide testing on humans, and in some cases kids

Enviros, public-interest groups, members of Congress, and even some government scientists are criticizing soon-to-be-released U.S. EPA rules on pesticide testing on humans. The regulations -- leaked in advance of their formal unveiling, which could happen as soon as this week -- would accept tests of pesticides on non-pregnant adults. In most cases the EPA wouldn't accept data from studies that involve the "intentional pesticide dosing" of children and pregnant women, but manufacturers could still conduct those tests, and the agency could accept the data if it decided it was needed to protect public health. Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, says the new regs also wouldn't rule out tests that expose kids to pesticides without putting the chemicals directly into their systems, like a controversial study, scuttled last year, that would have paid parents to spray pesticides near their children's beds.

straight to the source: USA Today, Associated Press, John Heilprin, 23 Jan 2006

straight to the source: The Scientist, Anne Harding, 24 Jan 2006

straight to the source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, McClatchy Newspapers, Michael Doyle, 24 Jan 2006


F'd Troops
Whistle-blower says Halliburton supplied foul water to troops in Iraq

Former employees of a subsidiary of Halliburton, the big military-services contractor once helmed by Vice President Dick Cheney, say the company exposed thousands of American troops and Iraqi civilians to sewage-laced water. Testifying yesterday before Senate Democrats, whistle-blower and water-quality expert Ben Carter said he informed his Halliburton superiors last year that the water it was supplying to Camp Junction City in Ramadi was contaminated by coliform bacteria and other microorganisms. Carter said the water sickened residents, who routinely used it to shower, shave, and brush their teeth. Halliburton didn't act, says Carter, but did instruct him not to tell the military its water needed treatment. "They told me it was none of my concern and to keep my mouth shut," says Carter, who resigned over the matter. Halliburton denies the allegations.

straight to the source: Reuters, Vicki Allen, 23 Jan 2006

straight to the source: ABC News, Julianne Donofrio, 23 Jan 2006

straight to the source: The Guardian, Julian Borger, 24 Jan 2006


The Fries Have It
Boston diner gets its heat from used veggie oil

Restaurant owner Don Levy geared up for this year's chilly Boston winter by getting rid of his furnace. Wait, it's not as batty as it sounds: Levy replaced his old heating system with a boiler that runs on 100 percent vegetable oil -- a readily available resource, so long as Bostonians keep eating fries. Not only is Levy avoiding high natural-gas heating prices, he also doesn't have to pay sanitation workers to haul away his leftover oil. "I'm saving money, and I'm saving the planet, too," says Levy, who is confident that he'll recoup his investment within five years. To those that argue that alternative-energy systems aren't economical, we say: Booyah!

straight to the source: The Boston Globe, Peter J. Howe, 21 Jan 2006






We're No. 28!
U.S. environmental performance ranks below Malaysia, Chile, 25 others

We beat Cyprus! Yeah, boyee! The Mediterranean island nation comes in at 29th in a landmark pilot study ranking countries by their environmental performance. The U.S. comes in at a blazing 28th -- just behind most of Western Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Chile, and, uh, Slovakia. The 2006 Environmental Performance Index -- jointly produced by Yale and Columbia Universities -- ranks New Zealand No. 1 for overall success in attaining such environmental goals as sustainable fisheries and greenhouse-gas emission cuts. The U.S. scored at the top for environmental health factors like indoor air pollution and sanitation, but poorly on agricultural, forest, and fisheries management. The final report will be released at the World Economic Forum, the exclusive annual summit of business and policy pooh-bahs taking place this week in Davos, Switzerland.

straight to the source: The New York Times, Felicity Barringer, 23 Jan 2006



Matters of the Hearth
Umbra on fireplaces

A shivery Grist reader wonders: Is it more eco-friendly to use a fireplace or a gas-powered central heater? Or, um, just keep freezing? And, speaking of fireplaces, what's up with those prepackaged logs? Advice maven Umbra Fisk warms up to the topic.

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new in Ask Umbra: Matters of the Hearth

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A Greening Tide Lifts All Boats
Reports say cutting greenhouse gases will enhance California's economy

Curbing greenhouse-gas emissions will massively boost California's economy, according to two independent analyses of the state's ambitious plans for fighting global warming. The Center for Clean Air Policy, a D.C.-based environmental think tank, found that California could meet its proposed 2010 emissions goals -- mandated last year as part of a climate-change action plan by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) -- at no cost to citizens. And researchers at U.C.-Berkeley determined that cutting greenhouse-gas emissions would save on fuel, putting money in Californians' pockets, and create new clean-tech jobs. Dirty industries are fond of claiming that emissions reductions will hurt the economy, but in light of these new studies those claims look suspiciously self-interested.

straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Usha Lee McFarling, 23 Jan 2006

see also, in Grist: Schwarzenegger declares war on global warming